By Chance
by nickscankicks
Summary: It wasn't supposed to happen. But it just did. How do you stop something from escalating into something more? You can't. That's the thing. It just happens when you least expect it. As much as you try to fight and deny what's going on, it can't be helped. It's out of your control.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

* * *

_Such a stupid_ _mistake_, Elena thought. _Why couldn't I just be upfront with him about how I felt? Now everything's ruined. I waited too long. _

"Elena?" Caroline called out as she walked into the dark apartment, "Are you home?"

Elena took a breath, trying to compose herself, but the tears would not stop falling. She was sobbing at this point—the heaving of her breaths, the inability to see because of the tears falling freely, but most importantly, the heart ache. The emptiness she felt. It was too much for her to handle.

She heard the front door close and her friend's footsteps walk toward her. Caroline flicked the light on the living room and gasped.

"Elena! Oh my god! What happened?" Caroline rushed to her best friend and roommate's side as she saw what state Elena was in.

"I messed everything up, Caroline! Everything. He won't even talk to me," Elena sobbed on the couch.

"What happened, Elena? Who won't talk to you?" Caroline brought her into a tight embrace.

Elena remained quiet and continued to cry as Caroline rocked her gently back and forth. What _did_ happen? How did things come to _this_?

"Oh my god, I can't take this!" Elena cried out as she stood up.

Caroline looked at Elena like she's gone crazy. Elena walked away from the couch and into her room. Caroline followed right after her and saw Elena collapse face first on top of her bed. Caroline walked towards the bed and sat right next to Elena's body. Her crying stopped, but she was still hyperventilating.

"Elena, you need to control your breathing," Caroline said worriedly, rubbing her back up and down.

Elena didn't say anything, but she tried to take her friend's advice. _Inhale. _Hold it. _Exhale._ She repeated those steps for four more breaths and she was able to calm herself down a bit. But the pain in her chest was unbearable.

Elena took one more deep breath and lifted her head, taking in her room. The memories. The laughter. The tears. The passion. The love. The _secrets_. _The lies._

"Elena?" Caroline said quietly.

Elena turned her body over and stared up to the ceiling. It was completely silent in her room. The only sound was Elena still trying to control her breathing.

"Are you okay?"

Silence consumed the room again.

"No," Elena said simply.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Caroline offered.

Did she want to talk about it? There's so much that's happened. Caroline probably knew a bit of what was going on. But Elena never actually spoke to her about it.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?" Elena asked.

"I was supposed to go out with Tyler tonight, but I'll call him and let him know that something's up," Caroline replied and stood up from the bed.

"You don't have to do that, Caroline. I'm fine, just go out with Tyler tonight," Elena said, feeling guilty for her friend to give up a date night with her boyfriend.

"No, no. You're clearly not fine and want to talk to someone about this," Caroline insisted, "And guess what? I'm going to be that person. Just hold on, I need to grab my phone and call him."

With that, Caroline walked out of Elena's room, leaving Elena alone. She let out a sigh and brought her hands over her face.

_I'm so stupid_. She thought. _It should have never got to this point_.

"Okay, Tyler's completely fine with me missing date night tonight and I also happened to call Bonnie to let her know what was going on, but she's stuck working. She said that she'll try and drop after her shift," Caroline said as she walked back into the room.

Caroline stopped and saw her friend staring blankly up at the ceiling. _She looks so confused and hurt. I wonder what happened_. Caroline felt sad for Elena. She's used to seeing her lively and happy. But with how Elena looks now—like all the life is sucked out of her and on the verge of an emotional breakdown at any point—Caroline wanted to help her with whatever she's going through. And that was what she's going to do.

"Elena?" Caroline hesitantly called out.

"Hm?" Elena replied.

Caroline walked over to Elena's bed and sat down next to her. Elena closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She opened her eyes and turned her head to face Caroline, who was staring intently at her.

"Do you remember Damon?" Elena started off.

"Remember him? How could I ever forget him? He practically lives here. He's always around whether it's bugging you, me, or Bonnie. Why?" Caroline raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I don't know if you ever noticed how we were always in my room, never in the living room or anywhere else," Elena said.

"Yeah? But Bonnie and I always thought you guys were working on projects or studying," Caroline replied.

Elena didn't respond to what Caroline said, but let it sink in to see if she could figure it out. After a few moments, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"No… You didn't," Caroline said surprised.

"I did," Elena said, looking away from Caroline.

She was ashamed of what happened. How it happened. But she won't lie to herself and tell her that it doesn't mean anything because it means everything to her.

"But what about Matt?! I thought you guys were good? Actually better than good, great?!" Caroline questioned.

"We were, but then Damon happened. It started as what you originally thought we were doing, but then it ended up into something else," Elena confessed, looking directly at Caroline and paused, "Wait you had no idea what was going on between Damon and I?"

"Well, Bonnie made a comment about how Damon was always in your room and was rarely ever hanging out in the living room without you being there too," She said and added, "I thought it was strange too. I wondered sometimes what was going on between you two and thought you guys were having some type of secret love affair, but I just brushed it off."

"Oh wow, you couldn't be anymore right," Elena said unsurely.

"Yeah, but since the cat's out of the bag. What happened, Elena? With you and Damon? And with you and Matt?" Caroline asked.

"Let me just tell you the _whole_ story and how it got to this," Elena said quietly.

"I'm all yours, I won't interrupt or anything," Caroline said, "I'm here for you, Elena. No judgment."

"Thanks Caroline," Elena closed her eyes as she began to tell Caroline what's been going on, "So it all began at the beginning of the school year…"

* * *

**A/N:** So, I decided today to try and write this other story that's been floating around my head for quite sometime. It's starting off a bit slow and it's short, but the coming chapters will be longer! I'll be switching between this story and _Blurred Lines_, but I'll probably post another chapter for this story to get it going by the end of the week. I'm a bit hesitant about this one. But please review! It'd help so much to know what all of you guys think of it. And maybe even favorite/follow it while you're at it. Thanks (:


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

* * *

"Go away, Caroline!" Elena groaned as she pulled her pillow over her face.

"It's the first day of classes! Get up! We're going to campus early," Caroline yelled through the door and her incessant knocks.

"Five more minutes!"

"No, we're leaving in thirty minutes. If you don't get up, you won't have a ride to school," Caroline stopped knocking and walked away from her room.

Elena Gilbert lived with her two best friends since the sandbox days in a two bedroom apartment, Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett. They're from a small town in Virginia—Mystic Falls—that maps don't even acknowledge, but it's there. They decided that they would get out of Mystic Falls and see more than the small town life. And lucky enough, the three girls were accepted into the University of California, Berkeley. They were accepted into other colleges, some that the other didn't apply to, but they opted for this school to get a feel for the "Cali lifestyle."

After their first year, Caroline was able to find an apartment not that far from the campus and it was for a good price, so the three moved in together. She and Bonnie shared rooms. But Elena was lucky enough to have her own room since her friends know how much she likes her privacy. Even though, they still decide to meddle in her life.

_Ugh, the first day of classes for my last year in college. I definitely shouldn't have slept late last night,_ Elena thought. _I might as well get up before Caroline comes back. _

Elena waited for about another minute until she finally started moving. She let out a sigh and got up from her bed to get ready. Elena grabbed everything she needed from her dresser and closet, and then she walked to the convenient bathroom that she only used—though on occasion, Bonnie or Caroline used it. After twenty minutes, Elena was dressed and ready for school. She decided to go casual for her first day back by wearing her favorite pair of black converse, washed out skinny jeans, and a basic black tank top. She looked through her bag to make sure she has everything she needed.

Before she stepped out of her room, Elena took one more look at herself in the mirror and noticed how much she's changed. The definition of her facial structure that came with age. The length of her hair, which was longer than what it was in Virginia. The way her body filled out, giving her a curvaceous structure that had all the boys taking a second glance.

_Let's just get this day over with_, Elena thought. She opened the door and walked through her apartment to the kitchen where she saw Caroline and Bonnie sitting at the island. She dropped her bag on the living room couch and went to join her friends.

"Well good morning sunshine," Bonnie gave her a smile, "There's some toast left if you wanted some. I didn't have time to make a good breakfast today."

"It's okay, Bonnie. Thanks anyways," Elena smiled and walked over to the counter where the toast was, grabbing herself one. She walked over the refrigerator and pulled out coconut water.

Caroline handed her a glass and Elena thanked her, poured herself a glass, and put it back.

"When's your car going to get fixed Elena?" Caroline asked her.

Elena turned around and walked toward the island, sitting next to Bonnie and across from Caroline, "I don't know. I brought it to Troy like two days ago, and he said he'd give me a call when he figures out how much damage is done. He hasn't called me back yet."

"I still can't believe that your car was hit," Bonnie said.

"Yeah, thank god I wasn't in the car when it happened. But seriously, how do you not see a parked car. It's right there," Elena said bitterly.

"Well you know how it gets sometimes, some college students just like to race their cars and don't pay attention," Caroline noted.

"Yeah, at least the insurance is covering it," Elena paused and added, "Thanks for giving me a ride until that gets settled."

"Well duh, what are friends for," Caroline smiled, "What time's your first class?"

"10, what about yours?" Elena asked Caroline and Bonnie.

"Mine's at 9:20," Bonnie replied.

"Mine's at 12," Caroline answered.

Elena glanced at the kitchen clock and noticed it was 8:20, "Why did you wake me up early if neither of us have class for at least another hour or so?"

"Early bird catches the worm!" Caroline laughed.

"Oh my god, I could have slept in longer!" Elena dramatically threw her hands up in the air.

"Oh hush, you know how I want to scope out the new kids," Caroline said and added, "Plus, Bonnie doesn't want to drive today, which means we are bringing her too."

"Okay, that makes more sense," Elena paused, "Wait, what do you mean 'you want to scope out the new kids,' don't you have a boyfriend?!"

"I'm leaving this conversation to go get my stuff, I'll be ready in five minutes," Bonnie stood up from her seat and placed her dish in the sink, walking towards her room to get what she needed.

"I do have a boyfriend. I am very happy with Tyler, but you know it doesn't hurt to look! Not everyone is set on being with the love of their life," Caroline said.

"Maybe I don't want to be with him anymore," Elena whispered to herself, but Caroline heard it.

"You what! You don't want to be with Matt anymore!?"

Elena sighed, "No, no, it's not that I don't want to be with him anymore, but he's expecting so much from me. He literally has our lives planned out after we graduate and I don't know if I want that. Hell, I don't even know what I want for lunch yet and here's Matt, planning our whole lives down to the year. We've been together since the end of our first year and it's just… I don't know, Caroline. It's hard to explain."

"Have you talked to Matt about all of this?" Caroline asked.

"No, I haven't. Whenever he mentions anything about the future, I tense up and we end up arguing," Elena explained.

"Well maybe you guys are just going through a rough patch. All couples go through it," Caroline suggested.

"I guess, but it's just not there anymore Caroline. I love Matt, he was one of the first few friends that I made here and he became one of my best friends. But I'm not quite sure if I'm _in_ love with him still," Elena confessed.

"Wow, Elena, I had no idea you felt that way," Caroline said surprised, "But I don't think you should just give up on it."

"Oh, no. I'm not! We just have a lot to work out," Elena said unsure.

"Well whatever happens between you two, you know I'm always your friend. And don't worry I won't tell Matt," Caroline reassured.

"Thanks, Caroline. I have no idea what I would do without you and Bonnie," Elena gave her friend a small smile.

At that moment, Bonnie walked back into the kitchen, "What about 'you and Bonnie?'"

"Oh well Elena was telling me about her doubts with Matt and how she's thankful for us to be in her life," Caroline answered simply.

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed, sending a glare to her friend.

"What? What doubts with Matt?" Bonnie asked.

Elena took a deep breath and turned to face Bonnie, "Look, I'll tell you about it later. I don't want you to be late to class and I really just don't want to talk about it right now."

"Um, okay…" Bonnie trailed off as Elena walked over to the couch.

"Are you ready, Caroline?" Elena asked as she picked up her bag.

"Yup, let me just grab my bag from my room and I'll meet you guys at the car," Caroline said as she walked towards her room.

"Come on Bonnie, let's go," Elena said as she went to open the front door.

Before Bonnie stepped out of their apartment, she turned to Elena and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Honestly?" Elena paused, "No, I'm really not okay. I'm okay with myself, but with everything that's going on between Matt and me, things just aren't okay. I feel stressed when I don't need to be."

"It's okay, Elena. I know you'll figure it out. Caroline and I are here for you," Bonnie reassured and pulled Elena into a hug.

"I know I do. Thank you guys," Elena whispered and pulled back, "But I'm fine. Don't worry. It's the start of our last year! We'll make it amazing."

"What are you guys still doing here? Didn't I say to just meet by the car?" Caroline walked towards the two.

"Yeah…" Elena trailed off.

"But we just had a mini heart to heart!" Bonnie added.

"Aww!" Caroline squealed.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Elena said, "Let's get to campus so we can get good parking!"

"Let's do it guys!" Caroline said proudly as Elena and Bonnie started to walk out.

"I call shot gun!" Bonnie yelled as she rushed down the stairs.

"Oh no fair! I always sit in the back seat," Elena whined.

"This is why you have to call shot gun," Caroline laughed as she locked up their apartment.

* * *

"So what are your classes today?" Caroline asked as her and Elena sat at a table in the quad.

"Well my first class is anatomy and right after I have the lab class that goes with it. Then around 4 I have my seminar class," Elena answered, "What about yours?"

"What? Anatomy? Why in the world do you have to take anatomy? You're an English major," Caroline asked surprised.

"Well I guess I missed one of my generals and it happened to be life science. So when I talked to my counselor about it, the only class available was anatomy so I just said what the hell," Elena explained.

"That makes sense," Caroline agreed, "My first class is photography. Then around 3, I have my psychology class."

"What a lax day for you. I wish my schedule was that easy," Elena said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry. Anatomy isn't that hard! Remember we took it in high school, we passed," Caroline said confidently.

"High school was what? Four years ago?! I don't remember anything that we learned, but if I remember correctly, Bonnie was the one that passed us," Elena started to laugh.

Caroline laughed along with her, "Okay, okay. You're right about that."

Elena glanced at her phone and saw the time was 9:45. Realizing it was time to walk over to class, Elena gathered her things.

"Heading over to class?"

"Yup, I don't want to sit too close or too far," Elena gave a small laugh, "I'll see you later? Or I'll just hitch a ride or something?"

"Just call me when you get out of class," Caroline said as Elena stood up.

"Definitely, see you later. Have a bitchin' day!" Elena said and turned around to walk towards her class.

But before Elena could even take her second step, she bumped into something—more like someone—and dropped her bag along with her passion iced tea from Starbucks.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" The person who she bumped into said quickly.

Elena looked up and saw one of the most attractive guys she'd ever lay her eyes on. She was speechless. He was built, but not built like muscle men built. He was lean and fit. His black hair was a bit all over the place, but it worked for him. What pulled Elena in was his eyes—his crystal blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Can I buy you another drink?" He said as he bent down to pick up her bag.

Elena finally found her voice and grabbed her bag from the mystery man, "It's okay. I was going to throw it out anyways."

"Are you sure? I feel really bad," The guy looked down and Elena thought it was the most adorable thing ever. She didn't realize how close they were standing and when she did, she coughed awkwardly and took a step back.

"It's fine. Really. Don't worry about it," Elena said dismissively.

"Okay okay… I'm sorry again," The guy looked really sorry.

"Don't worry, stranger. As much as I'd like to keep hearing you be sorry, I have to get to class," Elena said playfully, smiling at the guy in hopes to relieve his stress.

"Oh shit! I'm sorry for keeping you," He said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm sorry again for spilling your drink."

"Stop being sorry, it's okay. Have a good first day back," Elena said politely and walked away from the blue-eyed stranger.

_I wonder if I'll see him again._ Elena thought. _Wouldn't hurt. He is pretty good looking. _

Elena felt a vibration from her bag and pulled out her phone to see she received a text from Caroline.

_So what was that? ;)_

_What was what? _Elena typed and sent it as she continued walking to her anatomy class.

_With the guy that bumped into you! Did you forget that I was sitting right there?_ Caroline replied within thirty seconds.

"Crap," Elena said out loud. _Caroline was right there when it happened. _

_I guess I did. It was just an accident_. Elena replied.

_Mhm, I'm sure it was. I saw an instant spark between you guys!_ Caroline's responses were coming just like that. Deciding not to reply because Elena knows that Caroline will bug her about it later, she slipped her phone into her bag and entered the science building.

When Elena finally found the room she was supposed to be in, she noticed it was a small classroom. It wasn't like a lecture hall that she originally thought it was going to be. It was more than half full by the time she walked in. Noting how everyone was spread apart, she opted for a seat in the third to last row near the window. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Elena saw that it was 9:55. She was still pretty early for class.

With that time, Elena decided to look out the window and see what was going outside of the class. She saw people walking—some in groups, some alone—nothing out of the ordinary. Just a normal day. A beautiful one if she must say so herself. It isn't that hot or that cold. And the sun's out.

"You've got to be kidding me," A familiar voice said, breaking her out of her mundane thoughts.

Elena turned her head to see who was talking to her and of all people, it was _him_. She let out a wide smile and saw that the teacher walked in. He took the seat next to her and gave her a smirk as the teacher started talking.

"Welcome all. This is human anatomy and physiology 101. I know that the class was said to be a lecture class, which it still will be, but it'll be more focused and close-knit since there's about 30 of you guys on my class roster. I'm Professor Shane. Call me Shane for all I care. The class will be simple if you go to class, go to lab, and well, just study. It's a pretty straightforward class," Professor Shane said and went on to explain more.

"Hey, so I know that this is coincidental and everything, but I'm still sorry about what happened. I didn't mean to knock your stuff down," The guy whispered to her.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Elena whispered back and smiled.

The guy smiled back and turned his head to pay attention to what Professor Shane was saying. After a few minutes, he announced that lab partners will be chosen now.

"Alright, so I'm going to make the guys line up in front of me and then pick a name out of this bag. The name will be a girl's and that's your partner for the rest of the semester. If you guys have noticed, there's an uneven ratio of girls and guys in the class, so there will be three girl pairs. And this is also a perfect way for me to check off who attended class today," Professor Shane explained.

"Let's have you," He pointed to the guy next to Elena and looked at the guys in front of her, "And you two come up to pick first."

"I hope you're my lab partner," The guy whispered to Elena as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the front of the class.

Elena blushed at his comment, but immediately shook off what he said. _I shouldn't have these butterflies. It's just a guy. A _very _attractive one_.

He stood behind the other two guys and waited for his turn. The two guys in front of him pulled out other girls' names in the class. Surprisingly, those two girls were present and they introduced themselves to each other. When _he_ walked up to pull a name out of the bag, he leaned in to Professor Shane and said something inaudible. The professor shook his head and smirked. He put his hand in the bag and pulled out a paper with a name on it.

"Elena Gilbert?" He said unsurely.

_That's me. Holy crap._ Elena felt her heart race quicken, finding out that she had the one guy who she finds so attractive as her lab partner for the year.

Taking a deep breath, Elena stood up from her seat so Professor Shane and her new lab partner would be able to see her.

When he saw that his lab partner was _her_, he smirked and walked towards her where she was standing. Elena sat down as he was walking towards her, noticing that damn smirk of his.

_Why does he keep smirking?_ Elena thought anxiously.

After what seemed like forever, he took the seat next to her and faced her.

"I guess hoping does get me somewhere," He said to her as Professor Shane and the rest of the class continued to pick out lab partners.

"I guess it does," Elena remarked, turning her body to him, "So does my lab partner have a name?"

He extended his hand out and smirked again, "I'm Damon."

Elena briefly hesitated, but composed herself and extended to take his hand in hers, "I'm Elena."

Elena chose to ignore the spark that she felt when she touched his hand. Damon did something that completely shocked Elena, he brought her hand to his lips and gave it a small kiss. It immediately gave Elena butterflies and she felt herself blushing.

When he took her hand away from his very soft lips, he said, still smirking, "The pleasure's all mine, Elena Gilbert."

* * *

**A/N****:** There you go! Chapter 1! I decided to write this chapter to get the ball rolling so you guys could have some idea of where this story's going. Thanks for the people that reviewed/favorited/followed the story. You guys are the best :) Please review again! It'd mean a lot. Thanks! :)


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